After the first massive imports of rice from Guyana during the early days of the Government of Juan Carlos Varela, the Comptroller General of the Republic ran an audit that ended with the dismissal of the director of the Institute of Agricultural Marketing (IMA) at that time, Edwin Cárdenas.
Cárdenas was at the head of the IMA from July 1, 2014 to March 26, 2015, precisely when the purchase of the 10 million dollars of rice was made from Guyana, on August 14, 2014.
This acquisition was divided by the IMA into four smaller contracts for 2 million 245 thousand dollars each.
400 thousand quintals of rice were imported between September 30 and December 30, 2014.
In January 2016, the Comptroller issued the results of the audit for the period of Cardenas.
"The audit found that officials in charge of the administration of the IMA had not acted with the same diligence as that corresponding to a good administrator in the management of the resources of the Trust Fund of the Program for Food Solidarity, causing an economic damage to the State", said the Comptroller's Office in a statement.
The audit body said that there was a "lack of planning in the procurement process, as well as in the management and distribution of food products".
He said that as a result of the lack of planning, the State incurred in "overpayments" for the untimely processing of containers and goods received at shipping ports; the impairment loss and decay of the goods; and payment of products not received in the barns.
The National Federation of Rice Producers has requested, on two occasions this year, information about the agreement signed for massive imports from Guyana, but the Minister of Agricultural Development (MIDA), Eduardo Carles, has declined them.
After that, the Guild proceeded to file a writ of habeas data before the Supreme Court of Justice.
Both the MIDA and the IMA also denied this information to Panama America.
